Tanzania Mortgage Refinance Company and Habitat for Humanity launch housing microfinance solutions to expand affordable housing access in Tanzania
DAR ES SALAAM, March 4, 2026 – The Tanzania Mortgage Refinance Company (TMRC), in partnership with Habitat for Humanity International, today announced the official launch of new Retail and Wholesale Housing Microfinance products designed to enable more low-income households – especially those working in the informal sector, to build, improve or expand their homes affordably.
The launch follows a successful pilot implemented with National Bank of Commerce and FINCA Microfinance Bank and subsequent approval by the Bank of Tanzania allowing TMRC to refinance housing microfinance portfolios. This milestone now makes it possible for financial institutions to sustainably extend housing loans tailored to the needs of underserved families.
Initiated in August 2022, the partnership between TMRC and Habitat for Humanity International has focused on transforming Tanzania’s affordable housing finance landscape through the development of innovative client-responsive products, building institutional capacity and testing commercially viable approaches – All these supported by technical assistance from Habitat’s Terwilliger Centre for Innovation in Shelter.
Housing microfinance enables families who cannot access traditional mortgages to build, improve, or expand their homes incrementally, using loan products tailored to irregular incomes and informal employment.
Speaking at the launch, TMRCs Chief Executive Officer Elibariki Ndossi said: “The launched product is part of TMRC’s strategic move to increase home ownership to Tanzanians and a significant step towards assisting the Government of United Republic of Tanzania in enabling access to safe and secure homes, especially to families who have historically been unable to access mortgages. TMRC plays an important role of extending funding to financial institutions for onward lending to Tanzanians for housing purposes. This TMRC product will be accessible to Banks and Financial institutions operating in the country with an intention to bring impact on housing provision through provision of affordable and appropriate financing solutions.”
Habitat for Humanity’s Senior Director - Global Housing Finance Systems and Capital Markets, Naeem Razwani highlighted the broader impact of the initiative, saying:
“While Tanzania’s mortgage market continues to show promising growth, formal access remains limited for majority of the population. TMRC’s strong emphasis on local currency financing is central to progress—it mitigates foreign exchange risks, improves affordability for those earning in Tanzanian Shillings, and supports sustainable scaling of “This launch represents an important step in inclusive housing solutions. The strategic partnership between Habitat for Humanity and TMRC, backed by the Bank of Tanzania’s regulatory support opens vital new segments in the financial sector, both for commercial banks and the microfinance institutions. This unlocks innovative products that address housing finance needs for a significant share of the population, particularly low and middle-income households in the informal economy driving equitable progress toward broader, sustainable home improvement and ownership.”
As a wholesale lender, TMRC will provide capital to participating financial institutions, enabling them to offer housing microfinance loans to underserved households while maintaining financial sustainability. The partnership also seeks to mobilize government agencies, development partners, and financial institutions to support long-term scaling of affordable housing solutions in Tanzania.
During the pilot phase, partner banks including National Bank of Commerce and FINCA Microfinance Bank tested housing microfinance products designed to meet the needs of low-income customers. Lessons from the pilot informed the final product structure now being launched for broader market adoption.
About Tanzania Mortgage Refinance Company Limited (TMRC)
Tanzania Mortgage Refinance Company Limited (TMRC) is a specialized private-sector financial institution that provides long-term funding to financial institutions for mortgage lending purposes. Since its inception, TMRC has helped to extend the mortgage tenors available in the market from 5-7 years in 2011 to up to 25 years today. It has the objective of supporting financial institutions to do mortgage lending by refinancing Primary Mortgage Lenders’ (PMLs’) mortgage portfolios. This type of lending is also known as wholesale or secondary market lending. TMRC is neither taking deposits nor lending directly to individuals. It refinances mortgage loan portfolios rather than individuals mortgage loans and caters to banks rather than individual borrowers. For more information, visit www.tmrc.co.tz.
About Habitat for Humanity International
Driven by the vision that everyone needs a decent place to live, Habitat for Humanity began in 1976 as a grassroots effort and has since grown to become a leading global nonprofit housing organization working in more than 70 countries, nine of them in Africa. Through financial support, volunteering or adding a voice to support affordable housing, everyone can help families achieve the strength, stability and self-reliance they need to build better lives for themselves. To learn more, donate or volunteer, visit habitat.org/Africa
About Habitat’s Terwilliger Center for Innovation in Shelter
The Terwilliger Center for Innovation in Shelter, a unit of Habitat for Humanity International, works with housing market systems by supporting local firms and expanding innovative and client-responsive services, products and financing so that households can improve their shelter more effectively and efficiently. The ultimate goal of the Terwilliger Center’s market systems program is to make housing markets work more effectively for people in need of decent, affordable shelter, thereby improving the quality of life for low-income households. To learn more, visit habitat.org/tcis.
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